For this work, editor Rolf Toman gathered contributions from nine renowned authors with profound expertise in the fields of architecture and art history whose competent knowledge clearly elucidates the art of the Romanesque period.

The Italian Renaissance is among the most glamorousepochs of European art. Art historians as well as a widepublic are fascinated by three centuries of exceptionallyprolific artistic creation that produced works ofinternational fame such as Michelangelo's frescos in theSistine Chapel. The cityscapes of the great centers ofthat time would be vastly different without theirRenaissance architecture — cities like Florence, Rome, and Venice are veritable museums of an epoch whose art remains vital and influential even today. Impressive illustrations of works from every branch ofthe fine arts feature prominently in this book, which not only competently explains various aspects of Renaissance art, but also invites readers to observethem closely with its fabulous pictures.

During the baroque period, architecture and the other fine arts were the instruments of a staging of worldtheater on a grand scale. The baroque art of the popes in Rome, the displays of power and opulence in the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and Dutch painting -they all reflect different aspects of the underlying tension between pleasure in life and fear of death that was such a prominent feature of the baroque world view. This volume portrays the entire span of the fine arts ofthe baroque era, from rich splendor to religious asceticism.

The Gothic period is one of the first epochs in art history from which artworks of all kinds have been preserved: from cathedrals, castles, and palaces to masterful paintings and the most filigree works of goldsmiths, this volume displays the breadth and richness of a unique craftsmanship. Specific contributions delve into the development of Gothic architecture in France, as well as the national characteristics it took on from Spain and Portugal to northern and eastern Europe. Entire chapters are devoted to the Papal Palace of Avignon and the splendor of Gothic glass painting. This volume provides an overview of the artistic diversity of the Gothic -in no small part through the richness of the illustrations — that could scarcely be more vivid.

After the global hit Ars Sacra, Rolf Toman and his team embark on a journey once more. The Palace of Versailles and St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican are the outstanding buildings from this epoch. There are undreamed-of jewels in Europe and America, the New World, waiting for discovery. Magnificent libraries, vaults of science or mysterious gardens, skilled works of porcelain and illusionistic painting, to name just a few aspects of this complex epoch. With his passion and meticulousness, photographer Achim Bednorz succeeded to get details in front of his camera that cannot even be seen on the original locally. The photographs that are exclusive for this volume are particularly well-presented in their large format. The author Barbara Borngasser wrote her take on Baroque history to fit, and swiftly takes the reader into the Great World Theater, the Theatrum Mundi.

This book takes the reader on a fascinating journey from the ancient sites in Orange to the university town of Aix-en-Provence, from the metropolis of Marseille to the spectacular Gorges du Verdon. In each chapter of this book there is an overview of the area with a reliable street map, lots of large, colour pictures, and texts that describe the history, geography, art, culture, and lifestyle of the area. The reader sees and experiences how Romanesque culture lives on through monasteries and churches and the Provencal landscape right up to the present day. The light and colours of the plants and wildlife blend into a unique panorama which inspired the special colour compositions of the late Impressionists Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh. The book is organised by region and includes an appendix with indices of persons and towns, rounded off with a user-friendly glossary.